Flashlight



G.'V. C. VREELAND.

AFLASHLIGHTI APPLICATION FILED NOV.22, 1919.

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y www MTM Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

UNITED srATEs PATENT oFFlcE.

GEORGE V. C.

VREELANI), 0F EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, ING., A CORPORATION 0F YORK.

FLASHLIGHT.

specification of Leiters Patent. Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

' Application inea novemherea, 191e. sensi No. 339,791.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE V. C. Venn- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flashlights, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. p

The present invention has for its objects the provision of a flashlight in which means. is provided for establishing a circuit from the central pole of the battery and for breaking this circuit when it is desired to light or extinguish the lamp. In order to control the flow of current I provide a simple switch mechanism which is of such character that it may be cheaply manufactured .and assembled in the flashlight casing.

Other objects of my invention reside in the provision of a cross member within the casing which is permanently maintained in. positlon therein and adapted to abut against the uppermost battery and hold the same in position. This cross member .also is adapted to form a support for the coperating fixed and movable contacts of the switch mechanism and hold the saine in osition. One of the elements of the switch 1s also adapted to -orm aresilient contact for the lamp terminal thereby avoiding undue stress upon lamp w en the latter is inserted in the socket or under other conditions which arise when flashlights are in service.

In the drawings:

Figurel shows a side View of my imroved flash-li ht. Certain parts are shown in central section to show the interior construction.

Fig.'2 is a similar side view taken at right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is asectional view of the device as shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken on line 3-3.

The flashlight comprises casing 10 open at both ends'and having the lower' end closed by a closure 'l1 which fits within the casing and is secured in position by a bayonet lock 12. The closure 11 carries a coil spring 13 which serves to conduct current from one electrode of the battery 13 to the conducting casing. The upper end of the casing has a reflector 14 therein, the reflector fitting tightly in the end of the casing and being held by the friction-engagement of the casing end and reflector side walls.

able material.

a tubular metal The reflector 'carries theA usual lamp socket 15.

Just above the top of the battery I pro vide a U-shaped cross member or saddle 16 which is retained in position in the tube by rivets. This cross member is of metal and rigid. Upon the upper side of the cross member is placed a strip of insulation 17 and upon the lower side is a similar strip 18, and below strip 18 is a metal contact spring 19. To retain'the insulating strips,y

cross member and contact spring together, whereby the strips and contact spring may be supported by the cross member, I provide a pair of eyelets 2() which pass through encross member as shown in Fig. 1.

Attached to the end of the insulating strip 17 by an eyelet is a reversely bent contactspring or element 22 which is adapted to resiliently contact with the central terminal 23 of lamp 24 which has its opposite terminal in the form of a threaded base c0- operating with the lamp socket 15 of the 11e flector.

The end of the element/22 is upwardly bent as shown at 25 to form a contact end.

To make and break the circuit to the lamp I employ a finger member26 on the outside of the casing. This finger member has rivets which pass through slots in the casing and retain between the casing and finger member a friction piece 27 of liber or other suitrivets .are secured to a strip of metal 28 which extends longitudinally and has its upper endl bentinwardly and carryin a camming block 28 of insulating materia When the slide is moved upwardly the camming block impinges against a sloping f cam edge 29 of the movable Contact Velement 19 and swings the upper end 30 into contact with the end 25 of the fixed resilient contact element 22, thereby'establishing a circuit to the lamp. The circuit is broken by a'reversemotion of the linger member which withdraws camming block 28 from contacty with the movable contact element allowing this element to move to the position shown in Fig. 1 and open the circuit.

Within the casing these The cross member i6 ferme e iigxe upper abutment for the battery B spring pressure from tee eei spring reactilnlg through the batteries upen the lamp Ali elise, It also Prevents shocks which might -ocur in drop lng the flashlight from causing the batteries to impact against tbe base of the lamp and damage the same The fiez@ ible s ring element forms a lresilient contact 10 Seat orthe central lamp 'terminal and 1ereA 4 Vents damage to the base in piaeing the iamp in the reflector.

What I claim is: l. In a flashlight, a'cireuit dosing device 15 comprising, in combination, a supporting member, -a revrsely bent Spring Contact eie- -ment carried. thereby and insulated therefrom, a'movable spring Contact element cairied thereby ami insuiated therefrom and 20 having an end extending adjacent the en@ of, the first mentioned element and anineiined camming edge, and e sliding member hav ing 'an insulated Contact block upon the upper end thereof and adapted to eoperete 25 with the inclined cumming edge o? the eeeemi prevents the' end men-tienes?. eiement to cam the vsaine inte engagement with the first eiement and close the circuit.

:in a iasbigbt, having a lamp therein., comprising in combination, a supporting member, a revereely bent Contact element 'contacting resiiientiy with tbe base of the ing biocbi thereon, said block being edapteci v te cam against the camming surface of the second contact element and close the circuit lipari the sliding ci' the finger actuated member.

In testimony whereof bereuiite aiix :my signature.,

eeeytee in c. VREELMW 

